Batman Through the Years

1997: George Clooney as Bruce Wayne

Clooney stepped into the Bruce Wayne role for the fourth and final installment of the Burton/Schumacher franchise, "Batman & Robin." The film has been famously panned for being overly campy and pandering to kids and families.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Warner Bros)

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Billionaire playboy by day, masked vigilante by night, Bruce Wayne swore to avenge the murder of his parents by fighting crime and injustice in the city of Gotham. As Batman, The Bat-man, The Caped Crusader and The Dark Knight, Wayne has struck fear in the hearts of crooks and villains for more than 70 years.

As Batman begins a new chapter in popular culture, take a look back at the stage and screen history of this pop culture icon.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff

Wilson (left) became the first actor to play Batman on screen in 1943, when he starred in a 15-part serial called "Batman." Lowery took over the role six years later in a serial entitled "Batman and Robin."—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo by Columbia Pictures)

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West played wealthy playboy Bruce Wayne (and his crime-fighting alter ego Batman) in the ABC television series "Batman," which aired 120 episodes from 1966-1968. The series also had a 1966 movie spin-off entitled "Batman: The Movie."—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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Romero starred as Batman's arch-nemesis for the duration of the "Batman" series. The actor refused to shave his iconic mustache for the role, and it is notoriously visible beneath his makeup in most episodes.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: 20th Century Fox)

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Due to other commitments, Newmar was unable to reprise the Catwoman role for the 1966 movie spin-off. Meriwether took over the part for a once-and-done portrayal.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: 20th Century Fox)

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Mr. Freeze made only three two-part appearances in the '60s "Batman" series. The first time, in an episode explaining how Batman accidentally created Mr. Freeze, he was played by actor George Sanders.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: 20th Century Fox)

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Hamilton played Commissioner Jim Gordon in all three seasons of the "Batman" series. The character was able to reach The Caped Crusader via Bat-Signal or Bat-Phone.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: 20th Century Fox)

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"Batman" chronicled the birth of the hero's arch-nemesis, a petty thief named Jack Napier (who is also the killer of Bruce Wayne's parents) who is transformed into the sinister Joker. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Warner Bros)

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Pfeiffer became the fourth woman to play Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman, after actress Annette Bening withdrew from the "Batman Returns" role due to pregnancy.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Warner Bros)

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In "Batman Returns," DeVito played Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a The Penguin, a deformed orphan who grows up to resent the wealthy Gotham City citizens who rejected him as a baby.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Warner Bros)

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Jones and Carrey brought the camp back to the Batman series as Harvey Dent/Two-Face and The Riddler in "Batman Forever". Actor Billy Dee Williams played Dent in Burton's 1989 film, but Schumacher decided not to bring the star back to portray the character's villainous alter ego.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Warner Bros)

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Clooney stepped into the Bruce Wayne role for the fourth and final installment of the Burton/Schumacher franchise, "Batman & Robin." The film has been famously panned for being overly campy and pandering to kids and families.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Warner Bros)

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Silverstone joined the franchise as Barbara Wilson, Alfred's orphaned niece, who assists Batman and Robin as Batgirl. Unlike the Batgirl in the comics and the 1960s TV series, this version is not related to Commissioner Gordon.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Warner Bros)

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Schwarzenegger played the most destructive Freeze to date as the primary villain in "Batman & Robin." His cheesy ice- and snow-related puns are infamously bad.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Getty Images)

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Thurman became the first actress to play a live-action version of Poison Ivy when she appeared as the botanist-turned-villain in "Batman & Robin." The late Robert Swenson played Ivy's venom-fueled muscle named Bane.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: DC Comics/Getty)

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Meyer played Barbara Gordon, also known as Batgirl and "Oracle," in the short-lived WB series "Birds of Prey." The show followed Gordon as she amassed an all-girl group of superheroes, including Black Canary and Huntress — the daughter of Batman and Catwoman.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Warner Bros)

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In 2005, Bale became the seventh actor to play Bruce Wayne and his alter ego in Christopher Nolan's film "Batman Begins." The actor reprised the role for the final two installments of Nolan's trilogy, "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises."—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Warner Bros)

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The late Heath Ledger gave an Oscar-winning performance as the sadistic agent of chaos known as The Joker in "The Dark Knight." Ledger was the first posthumous winner of the Best Supporting Actor award.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Warner Bros)

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Gyllenhaal stepped into the role of Rachel Dawes for "The Dark Knight" after Katie Holmes passed on returning. In this film, Dawes was torn between her love for Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Warner Bros)

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In "The Dark Knight Rises," Hardy played the Batman's final (and most ruthless) foe, Bane. This version of the character receives a steady flow of pain-killing gas through his mask.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Warner Bros)

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A live stage show featuring Batman, Robin and their most famous villains kicked off in the U.K. last year. The tour later included several limited dates in North America.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

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Will Arnett lends his voice to Batman in the new animated film "The LEGO Movie." The Dark Knight joins forces with other DC heroes (in tiny toy form) and "master builders" to save the LEGO world. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Warner Bros.)

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In 2016, Oscar winner Ben Affleck will debut in the cape and cowl when he takes on actor Henry Cavill in the "Man of Steel" sequel. The reveal of Affleck as Bruce Wayne has been met with a flood of criticism, with many fans citing the actor's previous critical and box office failure as the superhero Daredevil.—XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photo: Warner Bros.)

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